Basin holder



B. L. ELLINGSON 2,235,986

BASIN HOLDER Filed June 12, 1939 Z-m Y'QAJ wag/A4.

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Patented Mar. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for supporting basins and likeutensils in positions for handy and convenient use, the articlehavingbeen designed primarily for hospital use. In the operating roomsof hospitals it is customary practice to provide a basin or likereceptacle for soiled sponges, instruments, specimens, etc., discardedby the surgeon during an operation. Such basin has heretofore usuallybeen disposed on the floor or on a stand at a point so remote from theop: erating table as to require the surgeon to shift his vision from thefield of operation when discarding a sponge, bandage, or the like in thereceptacle.

One object of this invention has been to provide a holder for a basin orreceptacle of this character that may be removably mounted on andsupported by the operating table itself to hold the basin in a mostaccessible and convenient position for use within reach of the surgeonand his assistants without resting on the patient, and that will retainits place on the table even when the latter is tilted to support thepatient in the Trendelenberg or shock position wherein the foot end ofthe table is higher than the head end.

Another object of the invention has been to provide a basin holderusable not only in the manner and for the purpose above described, but,by simple inversion, capable of use at the bedside of a patient forgiving the latter a sponge bath without requiring the use of a tab-1e orstand to support it, the structure being such that its base member, whenso used, can be inserted and r clamped between the bed bottom spring andthe mattress so as to securely support the basin at a convenient heightdirectly over the bed.

Another object of the invention has been to provide a basin holder ofthe character above described of very simple and inexpensiveconstruction and light weight, and capable of being easily transferredby hand from one field of use to another.

Still other objects and attendant advantages of the invention will beapparent to physicians, nurses and other hospital attendants from thefollowing detailed description of a practical and preferred embodimentthereof shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is aperspective elevation of the basin holder in the position in which it ismounted on the operating table.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 on a reduced scale, omitting thetable clamp and showing the integral one-piece structure of the tworings and their connecting standard.

coaxial character of the two rings.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, showing the holder (or. 248--226) l z Imounted on the elevated foot end of an operat- ,5

ing table. a Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the holder inverted,

and showing its mode of application to a bed.

standard connecting said rings, said standard preferably comprising astraight vertical section l2 and short horizontal arms l3 and I4continuous with the ends of said vertical section and rings. Thisproduces the structure shown in Fig. 2. To strengthen andrigidify thestructure the two ends of the portions forming the rings Ill and II areWelded or, brazedto each other as shown at l5 and [6 at the junctions ofthe arms l3 and M with the rings. By reference to Fig. 3 it will beobserved that the base ring II is of, somewhat larger diameter than, andis co-axial with, the upper basin holding ring I ii.

The structure thus far defined, when used in connection with surgicaloperations, is designed to be supported on the operating table where thebasin (indicated by dotted lines at B in Fig. 4) may be supporteddirectly above the feet of the patient. For this purpose there isconnected to the base ring I l a clamp or hook designated as an entiretyby IT. This clamp is conveniently and cheaply made from a single lengthof pliable rod or heavy wire stock bent into horizontal U-shape mostclearly shown in Fig. 1, the ends being welded or brazed at Hi to thering H. In applying the basin holder to the operating table T, thisclamp or hook I! is pressed over the lower edge of the table, as shownin Fig. 4, so that it not only removably attaches the device to thetable, but, when the foot end of the table is tilted upwardly, as in ashock position of the patient, it prevents the basin holder from slidingdownwardly on the table. It will be observed that the width of thisclamp is substantial, being approximately equal to one-half the diameterof the ring II to which it is attached. This effectively prevents anylateral swinging movement of the hold er to one side or the other whenmounted on the table.

As hereinbeiore stated, this article is not only useful in the operatingroom, but, being light and readily portable, when not in service in theoperating room it may be transferred to a patients room and used as abasin holder for giving the patient a sponge bath. This use of thedevice is illustrated in Fig. 5, wherein it will be seen that the deviceis simply inverted and the smaller ring i0 is inserted between the bedspring l9 and the mattress 20, a somewhat larger bath basin B beingsupported horizontally in and by the ring H, the functions of the tworings in this use of the device being reversed relatively to theirfunctions when used on the operating table.

While the invention is not intended to be limited to a structure madewholly of bent rod or wire stock, the use of such material enables thearticle to be made at a very low cost, and such material therefore ispreferably employed in its manufacture. Aside from its double functionin the operating room and in the patients room, in both situations itsecurely supports the basin in the most advantageous positions for thephysician and the nurse.

Among the advantages of the invention I may mention the following:

1. The receptacle may be within easy reach of the surgeon and hisassistants without resting on the patient. It enables them to discardsoiled sponges, instruments, bandages and the like without taking theireyes from the incision.

2. The holder will support a receptacle of sufficient size so that itwill not untidily overflow.

3. The holder is not adapted to merely one type of operating table, butcan be used on any type of table.

4. The basin holder can be used on the operating table in any positionor location where the operation would necessitate having a receptacleWithin easy reach of the surgeon and his assistants.

5. The holder may be draped with the same sterile drape that covers thepatient thereby becoming a sterile receiver for a sterile basin.

6. The basin holder mounted on the table does not take extra space inthe operating room.

I have herein shown and described the best and most practical form ofthe invention which I have thus far designed, but modifications in thedetails of structure and arrangement may be resorted to within thepurview and coverage of the claims.

I claim:

1. A basin holder of the character described, comprising an upper basinsupporting ring, a lower base ring, a standard outwardly offset from andconnecting said rings, and a clamp connected to said base ring andunderlying said standard for removably mounting said holder on anoperating table.

2. An embodiment of the structure defined in claim 1, wherein the clampis a U-shaped memher having laterally spaced arms at their ends weldedto the base ring.

3. An embodiment of the structure defined in claim 1, wherein the clampis a U-shaped member having laterally spaced parallel horizontal arms attheir ends Welded to the base ring, and has a Width approximately equalto one-half the diameter of the base ring.

BERTHA L. ELLINGSON.

